Pros

Cons

Key Specifications

What is the Philips HR1604/01?

The Philips HR1604/01 is an affordable hand blender with one foot, one speed, a plastic jug and no frills.

Its 550W power is better than some budget blenders but the design isn’t great. It sits a bit awkwardly in the hand and is trickier to clean than most.

Philips HR1604/01 – Design and features

The Philips doesn’t have a very ergonomic design. It goes straight up and down where most modern hand blenders narrow to fit naturally in the hand.

It boasts a single speed and a single blending foot, finished in stainless steel (more heatproof and stainproof than plastic). This is home to two blades: one curves very slightly upwards, the other slightly downwards.

The blender comes with a slim, fairly tall plastic jug, graduated in millilitres, fluid ounces and cups. It has a capacity of around 600ml but you can’t only blend half that much if you don’t want spills.

There’s no loop at the top for hanging it up and the stainless steel at the bottom, around the blade, has no slits in it. Instead, the bottom of the foot has a wave-like shape to help the food you’re blending to move around.

Philips HR1604/01 – What’s it like to use?

The Philips is powerful for a simple hand blender. Its blended chickpeas made an excellent hummus with a smooth, creamy texture.

Thanks to the powerful motor, long blades and unusual design with no slits in the side, it whips up a lot of suction. You can literally lift this blender in its jug and the jug comes with you.

The stainless steel foot means it’s fine at blending hot stuff, but we weren’t big fans of the shape of the body or the foot. The body doesn’t sit as comfortably in the hand as some stick blenders. And the foot’s shape makes it tricky to clean. The bottom of the foot is shaped like a cone, rather than an inverted bowl, so food can get stuck up there.

Should I buy the Philips HR1604/01?

Probably not. It’s powerful for a basic, single-speed hand blender. But we weren’t grabbed by its industrial design. It doesn’t feel great in the hand and it’s harder to clean than most.